Taishanese is rich in sentence-final particles. They are context sensitive. Combined with tone change and syllable stretching, they are used to indicate sentence types as well as to inject mood and emotion into the conversation. The following are examples of finals attached to the verb ? [l?i22] come:
?22?55 [l?i22 lak55] ?
Suggestive, inviting, proposing, beckoning: Come! Come!
?22?55- [l?i22 la:55] ?
Urging, calling out over distance: Come!
?22?22 [l?i22 la:22] ?
Commanding, mildly impatient: Come!
?22?552 [l?i22 la552] ?
Pleading, irritated: come!
?22ya55- [l?i22 ya:55]; ?22?33[l?i22 va:33] ?
Confirming with excitement: (S/he/they/I/we) will come.
?22?32 [l?i22 v?:32] ?
Contradicting one's expectation, i.e. responding to the host's question 'They will not come, right?': (They) will come!
?225ya22 [l?i225 ya22] ?
Calling out, impatient, imploring: Come! What are you waiting for?
?22?33?[l?i22 ma33] ?
Enquiring: Are you coming?
?22?55?33 [l?i22 gu55 va:33] ?
Guessing: I think (S/he/They) will come?
?22?55?22 ;[l?i22 l?55 nei22] ?
to inform evidently with confidence, i.e. as one spots the expected guest coming: (Somebody you've been waiting for) is/are coming.
?22?55?33? [l?i22 la55 ma33] ?
Enquiring: (You are) coming, right?
?22?55?33? [l?i22 ?a55 ma33] ?
Enquiring: (S/he/They is/are) coming, right?
?22?55?33![l?i22 la55 ?a33] ?
Inviting, patronizing: Come on!
?223?55?21 [l?i223 l?55 m?21] ?
Greeting, as expected: Oh, you've come. This could be a friendly greeting toward a close friend or junior relative. It could also be an unfriendly remark.
?223?55?33 [l?i223 l?55 y?33] ?
Informing: (S/he) has come. or They've come.
?22?55?33[l?i22 l?55 va33]; ?22?33- [l?i22 l?:33] ?
To inform, warning: (somebody) is/are coming!
?22?33 [l?i22 l?k33]
Acknowledging: I'm coming
?22yei33[l?i22 yei33]; ?225yei33[l?i225 yei33] ?
Challenging: Come on! Come and get me!
?225- yei33- [l?i:225 yei:33] ?
Begging: Please come, would you?
A few more common finals:
?? [dzi55 ma33] i.e. impatiently: just (doing something) for obvious reason.
?[m?21] for yes/no type question with affirmative presumption from the speaker
????. ???? ?????? Just taking a look, isn't that allowed? Why so jumpy?
[hai55 ha21 dzi55 ma:33/m22 dak22 m?:21/m?t55 k?i21 gin55 dzia?335 ?a:33] ?
?? [dzi33 la55] used to making a emphasized informative statement, usually a precondition for something.
??????, ??553?! (They have) not yet eaten, yet left!
[yiak32 mia?21 hiak33 dzi33 la:55, diu32 d?u553 l?k33] ?
?? [la55 ma22] is used to reconfirm the previous statement(s), kind of like that's how it is, or that's why.
? [?a33] is a question final.
???? Where are you going? [hui33 nai215 ?a33]
? a ???? Have you eaten? [hiak33 a33 fan32 mi32 a33]
? [y?33] is used for warning and stressed. Usually interchangeable with ?[va33].